This picture taken on September 8, 2023 shows Kim Brownlie (left), a volunteer at the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, and firefighter Mitchell Brennan on patrol along the Hawkesbury River near the Wisemans Ferry township, on the outskirts of Sydney. (PHOTO / AFP)

CANBERRA - Australia is facing possible compounding and cascading natural disasters through summer, the nation's top emergency management authority has warned.

Brendan Moon, Australia's Coordinator-General for National Emergency Management, told reporters in Canberra on Monday that Australians should plan for the impacts of a range of disasters in the upcoming summer.

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"We are going to experience a warmer, drier spring and summer, but we also should prepare for the possibility of cyclones, floods, bushfires and also heat waves," he said.

In its latest seasonal outlook published in August, the Australasian Fire Authorities Council put large parts of eastern and central Australia on high alert for bushfires due to forecast hot, dry weather and high fuel loads

Moon was speaking ahead of the first National Disaster Preparedness Summit, which began in Canberra on Monday.

More than 250 representatives from federal, state, and territory governments as well as experts from emergency services and industry were invited to the two-day summit to ensure a cohesive response to summer natural disasters.

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Experts have previously warned that Australia is facing its worst bushfire season since the devastating 2019-20 Black Summer blazes, which burned more than 240,000 square km of land.

In its latest seasonal outlook published in August, the Australasian Fire Authorities Council put large parts of eastern and central Australia on high alert for bushfires due to forecast hot, dry weather and high fuel loads.

Despite the warning, Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said in a statement on Monday that he has confidence in the government's response plans.

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"We know that due to climate change, disasters will become increasingly frequent and intense, which is why we have taken significant steps to build our resilience and response capabilities," he said.

"I'm confident that as a country we're well-prepared for the conditions forecast, but we aren't complacent and want to make sure we're doing everything within our power to get ready."